Concentrated protein compositions and methods of their making and use

ABSTRACT

This disclosure provides a highly concentrated protein composition and the processes of making the same. The compositions are shelf-stable, easy to use and have excellent nutritional values as compared to other protein products. The compositions may be prepared from animal sources, such as chickens or turkeys.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/698,150, filed Apr. 28, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Patentapplication 61/985,270 filed Apr. 28, 2014, the entire content of eachof which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

This disclosure relates to a process for preparing concentrated proteincompositions from animal meat or other animal parts. More particularly,the disclosure pertains to concentrated protein compositions preparedfrom poultry and methods of making the same.

2. Description of Related Art

Protein is an essential nutrient for humans and animals. Traditionalsources of proteins include, for example, animal meat (e.g., poultry,beef, pork, fish, etc.) and various plants (e.g., soybean or pea) thatare rich in protein. Convenience foods such as bars, shakes, andsmoothies are becoming more and more popular and have become importantsources of protein intake. Other protein-rich products such as proteinshakes, are used by athletes to maintain or grow muscle mass.

Protein powders are used extensively in making these convenience foodsor specialty products. To date, most protein powders are obtained fromplant sources, such as soy or pea. Other than protein powders preparedfrom milk, whey, or eggs, high-protein powders from other animal sourceshave not been reported or used in such protein-rich products.

SUMMARY

The disclosed instrumentalities advance the art by providing methods forpreparing a high quality, high concentration protein powder from animalsources. Examples of animal sources may include but are not limited tomeat or other body parts from birds, cattle, pigs, among others.Examples of birds may include but are not limited to chickens orturkeys. In one aspect, the high protein composition may contain morethan 70%, 75%, 80%, 90%, or 95% (w/w) of protein but less than 15%, 12%,10%, 8%, or 5% (w/w) of fat. Unless otherwise specified, weightpercentages in this disclosure are measured on a dry matter basis.

In one embodiment, the composition may be prepared from a startingmaterial derived from an animal source. Examples of the startingmaterial may include but are not limited to meat, boneless meat orpoultry trims from chickens or turkeys. In one aspect, the startingmaterial may be processed to generate a processed material in the formof fine particles or powders. This processing step (a) may include, forexample, mechanical grinding of the starting material into much smallerpieces or particles. The processed material from step (a) may be cooked(or incubated) with water at an elevated temperature for a period oftime to form a slurry. This incubation step (b) may be carried out in avessel or a pot. In another aspect, the material is cooked to donenesswithout excessive temperature or time to preserve optimum proteinquality by preventing unnecessary protein denaturation.

Following the first cooking period, liquids may be separated and removedfrom the solids of the first slurry to obtain a first solid fraction. Inone aspect, the separation and removal step (c) may be carried out byusing a high speed decanter. The high speed decanter may use centrifugalforce to separate liquid from solid fractions. The removed liquids maybe used for other purposes. Significant amount of fat is removed in thisstep (c).

In another embodiment, the first solid fraction obtained from step (c)may be further cooked or incubated with water at an elevated temperaturefor a period of time to form a second slurry. Some agitation may be usedduring this second cooking step (d) to assure adequate mixing andfractionation of soluble proteins and fat from the insoluble proteinmatrix. The elevated temperature in steps (b) and (d) may be between 160F and 300 F, between 180 F and 250 F, between 180 F and 230 F, orbetween 200 F and 230 F. The first and second period of time in steps(b) and (d) may be the same or may be different, and both may be between1 and 3 hours, or about 2 hours.

Following the second cooking period, liquids may be separated andremoved from the solids of the second slurry to obtain a second solidfraction. The separation and removal step (c) may be carried out byusing the same type of high speed decanter as in step (c). More fat andsoluble protein are removed in this step (e).

The second solid fraction may then be collected and may be dried andprocessed into a meal or fine powder. Examples of drying methods mayinclude but are not limited to air drying, spray drying, or othermethods known in the art.

In another embodiment, the steps (d) and (e) may be repeated once ormore times, as needed.

In one embodiment, no pH adjusting agent is added during the disclosedprocess to adjust the pH of the slurry or any intermediate products. Inanother embodiment, a pH adjusting agent may be added during thedisclosed process to adjust the pH of the slurry or any intermediateproducts.

In another embodiment, the method may further contain an acidificationstep to reduce the pH of the protein composition obtained above. Inanother embodiment, the acidification step may include adding an acidicagent to the slurry obtained above or partially hydrolyzing the slurry,wherein the acidic agent is selected from the group consisting ofcarbonated water, carbon dioxide gas, and combination thereof. In oneaspect, acid hydrolysis may help removing fat (lipid) from thecomposition. In another aspect, acid hydrolysis may facilitate selectivefractionation of proteins and improve amino acid profiles, especially toincrease the content of essential amino acids.

In another embodiment, the method may further contain a microfiltrationstep which selectively enriches one or more amino acids or one or moreproteins in the composition obtained above. By way of example, themicrofiltration step may be performed by passing the slurry through amembrane filter system designed to either remove or retain selectedproteins and/or amino acids.

The high protein composition thus obtained may be used in numerousproducts, such as, by way of example, protein drink, smoothies, or othernutritional beverages.

In another embodiment, the disclosed high protein, low fat compositionsmay contain high quality proteins comparable to those of egg proteins.In one aspect, the disclosed composition may have a Protein EfficiencyRatio (PER) score of between 80 and 100, or between 85 and 100 ascompared to egg protein on PER tests performed on chickens. In anotheraspect, the disclosed composition may have a Protein Efficiency Ratio(PER) score of between 85 and 100 as compared to casein protein on PERtests performed on rats. In another aspect, the total amino acids in thedisclosed composition may score at least 90, 95, 98, or 99 ProteinDigestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). In another aspect,the composition may contain amino acids having an amino acid profilethat scores a perfect 100 Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino AcidScore (PDCAAS).

In another embodiment, the total amino acids in the disclosedcomposition may have a fecal digestibility of at least 95, 96, 97, 98,99 or higher. In another embodiment, the total amino acids in thedisclosed composition may have an ileal digestibility of at least 95,96, 97, 98, 99 or higher. Fecal and ileal digestibility may be measuredaccording to Darragh and Hodgkinson, Journal of Nutrition, vol. 130, no.7, 1850S-1856S (2000).

In another embodiment, the final high protein composition may beprocessed into a finely granulated or a powder form. For example, thecomposition may have an average particle size smaller than 500 microns,smaller than 300 microns, or smaller than 100 microns. In anotherembodiment, the final high protein composition may be in a texturizedform, wherein the particle size ranges from 1-2 mm.

In another embodiment, a process is disclosed herein for improvingprotein quality of a composition derived from an animal source. Theprocess may include at least the step of separating or removing from thecomposition one or more proteins which have PER scores of less than 60,70, or 80.

In another embodiment, the composition of the present disclosure may beused as a dietary supplement or may be used as a component of a dietarysupplement. The supplement may serve various functionalities whenadministered to a living organism, such as a mammal, a fish, a bird or adomestic animal. These functionalities may include but are not limitedto promoting growth of certain gut bacterium, maintaining a specific gutmicrobiome, enhancing immune response, modulating inflammatory response,among others. In one particular aspect, the disclosed composition may beused as a prebiotic that promotes gut microbiome or helps balance thedifferent bacterial species in the gut of the organism. The termmicrobiome refers to the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic,and pathogenic microorganisms that share a body space within a mammal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides processes for making a concentratedprotein composition. The disclosed processes improve upon existing artby increasing the protein concentration while lowering the fat contentof the compositions.

In one aspect of this disclosure, a shelf-stable concentrated proteincomposition from animal sources is provided. Similar to plant and dairybased proteins (e.g., whey or soy powders), the disclosed high proteincomposition is convenient to use and easy to process by the foodindustry. In contrast to plant and dairy based proteins, the disclosedprotein composition is from animal meat sources. In another aspect, thehigh protein composition is in an easy-to-use powder form.

In another embodiment, this disclosure relates to a process of making acomplete, high quality, high protein, and low fat composition frompoultry such as chicken and turkey. The composition is available tocommercial food processors and consumers in a convenient andshelf-stable powder form.

In one aspect, the disclosed protein composition contains about the samepercentage of proteins as soy and whey protein concentrates andisolates. In another aspect, the amino acid profile of the disclosedhigh protein composition is well balanced. Table 1 shows amino acidprofiles of one exemplary protein composition (Internal Ref Code 3147)prepared according to the present disclosure. In a study to evaluate thequality of proteins based on amino acid requirements by humans and onprotein digestibility, the disclosed protein composition is shown tohave a maximum score for Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino AcidScore (“PDCAAS”).

TABLE 1 Amino acid profile of a composition (Internal Ref Code 3147)prepared according to the disclosed Single-Decant method % of AA onsolids basis Aspartic Acid (w/w) 6.83 Threonine (w/w) 3.30 Serine (w/w)3.02 Glutamic Acid (w/w) 11.52 Glycine (w/w) 4.55 Alanine (w/w) 4.38Valine (w/w) 3.48 Methionine (w/w) 2.05 Isoleucine (w/w) 3.49 Leucine(w/w) 6.06 Tyrosine (w/w) 2.61 Phenylalanine (w/w) 3.50 Histidine (w/w)2.00 Lysine (w/w) 6.55 Arginine (w/w) 5.29 Proline (w/w) 5.64Hydroxyproline (w/w) 1.68 Cysteine (w/w) 0.90 Tryptophan (w/w) 0.69Total 77.54

Table 2 shows the typical amino acid composition in total chicken meatprotein (USDA SR-21 released Dec. 7, 2011 by U.S. Department ofAgriculture) for purpose of comparison.

TABLE 2 Typical amino acid composition of meat protein from chickensWeight (mg) % of AA Aspartic Acid 3870 8.92 Threonine 1834 4.23 Serine(w/w) 1494 3.44 Glutamic Acid 6504 15.0 Glycine 2133 4.91 Alanine 23695.46 Valine 2155 4.97 Methionine 1203 2.77 Isoleucine 2293 5.28 Leucine3259 7.51 Tyrosine 1466 3.38 Phenylalanine 1724 3.97 Histidine 1348 3.11Lysine 3689 8.52 Arginine 2619 6.03 Proline 1785 4.11 Hydroxyproline NDND Cysteine 556 1.30 Tryptophan 507 1.17 Total 43400 100 ND: NotDetermined.

Table 3 shows the amino acid profiles of another composition (InternalRef code 3185) prepared according to the Double-Decant method. It isworth noting that the percentage of hydroxyproline is relatively low(e.g., as low as 0.59%) as compared to protein composition prepared frompoultry by using other methods. Protein composition low inhydroxyproline is likely to be low in collagens. Thus, the disclosedlow-hydroxyproline composition may be used for people desiring alow-collagen diet.

TABLE 3 Amino acid profile of a composition (Ref code 3185) preparedaccording to the Double-Decant method % of AA on solids basis AsparticAcid (w/w) 8.25 Threonine (w/w) 4.16 Serine (w/w) 3.65 Glutamic Acid(w/w) 12.69 Glycine (w/w) 4.23 Alanine (w/w) 5.12 Valine (w/w) 4.50Methionine (w/w) 2.43 Isoleucine (w/w) 4.20 Leucine (w/w) 7.19 Tyrosine(w/w) 3.14 Phenylalanine (w/w) 3.72 Histidine (w/w) 2.36 Lysine (w/w)7.73 Arginine (w/w) 5.92 Proline (w/w) 3.70 Hydroxyproline (w/w) 0.59Cysteine (w/w) 0.92 Tryptophan (w/w) 1.17 Total 85.67

In one embodiment, the disclosed composition of may contain less than0.6%, 0.8%, or less than 1% of hydroxyproline by weight of total aminoacids in the composition.

In another embodiment, because the disclosed high protein compositionsprovide complete amino acid profile in a single high quality proteinsource, there is no need to mix multiple protein sources or tosupplement any particular amino acids. Indeed, as shown by ProteinEfficiency Ratio (PER) testing, the high protein compositions of thepresent disclosure are comparable to the highest quality proteins suchas those from eggs, while in many cases, exceeding the scores of wheyand soy proteins. Protein efficiency ratio (PER) is measured based onthe weight gain of a test subject divided by its intake of a particularfood protein during the test period.

Due to conditions such as kidney disease, some people must limit theirdietary protein intake. For these people, the use of a concentrated,complete and high quality protein may allow intake of essential aminoacids within the least amount of overall dietary protein.

In another embodiment, the disclosed protein composition may be used inmaking a number of different products, which may include but are notlimited to bars, baked goods, pasta, nutritional drinks, among others.In one aspect, the disclosed compositions possess a smooth texture and anon-gritty and non-sandy mouth feel. In another aspect, the disclosedprotein composition may be processed into very fine particulate sizes sothat they may be used in liquid products like shakes, protein sportsdrinks, and other beverages that require smooth texture and mouth feel.In another aspect, the particle size is smaller than 500 microns. Inanother aspect, the particle size is smaller than 400, 300, 200, 100 oreven 50 microns.

In another embodiment, chicken raw materials may be fractionated withnon-protein components removed. In another embodiment, the disclosedprocess may also improve the amino acid profile of the compositions byremoving protein components that are of lesser nutritional value.Mechanically separated chicken (MSC) type products can be fractionatedinto special protein products after cooking by removing fats and solubleprotein according to the disclosed method. The resulting protein productis not merely mechanically separated chicken, but is an extract ofmechanically separated chicken which has superior nutritional qualitiesas compared to raw MSC.

In one aspect, the disclosed process may be used to turn lower value rawpoultry materials into a high value protein powder without usingadditives. By way of example, several representative steps of one of theembodiments of the disclosed processes are described below:

1. Raw chicken muscle such as boneless meat or trims may be the startingraw material. Alternatively, raw chicken frames and carcasses may beconverted to mechanically separated chicken using equipment andtechniques available in the art.

2. This material may be finely ground to allow optimum fractionation ofprotein from fat and other non-protein materials. Pieces of the startingraw material may be ground to less than 5 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, or lessthan 1 mm size.

3. The finely ground chicken starting material may be cooked to donenesswithout excessive temperature or time. This may help preserve optimumquality by preventing unnecessary protein denaturation.

4. The cooked chicken slurry may then be passed through a high speeddecanter that uses centrifugal force to separate liquid from solidfractions. The liquids are removed and sent away for other uses.

5. A significant amount of fat is removed in this step. Significantamounts of soluble proteins and nucleotides, as well as other compounds,are also removed. The resulting high-protein composition containsproteins that are of higher quality as shown by their higher nutritionalvalue in promoting body growth and muscle growth in humans or domesticanimals.

6. The cooked decanted chicken may be sent to a second cooking vesseland mixed with an optimum amount of water.

7. The chicken may be cooked according to various times and temperaturesas needed to meet particular product specifications and characteristics.Some agitation may be used to assure good mixing and fractionation ofsoluble proteins and fat from the insoluble protein matrix. For example,the slurry might be cooked for 2 hours at 200 F to 230 F.

8. The twice cooked chicken slurry may be passed through a secondcentrifugal decanter to remove additional fat and to remove more solubleproteins.

9. The twice cooked and decanted product at this point may be cooked anddecanted a third or multiple times as needed to meet the specificationsfor a particular need.

10. The resultant cooked and decanted protein-enhanced product may bedried into a meal or fine powder by choice of drying methods such as airdrying, spray drying, and other means currently available in the art.Alternatively, the resultant protein-enhanced product may be dried in adrum dryer or other equipments known in the field to provide a finalproduct in a texturized form with more body chew and mouth feel.

The multiple cooking and high speed centrifugal decanting steps have notbeen reported in the art and may have contributed to the variousadvantages described here. Moreover, the cooking and fractionationcycles may have contributed to the increase in protein quality (asmeasured by digestibility and PER testing). The soluble protein removedin the disclosed process has been found to be of lower nutritionalquality in animal feeding studies as related to growth rate. PER scoresin chicks, rats, and dogs are significantly lower for rations comprisedof these soluble proteins. Thus, removal of the lower quality proteinsmay have contributed, at least in part, to the enhanced quality of thedisclosed high protein composition.

An unexpected benefit from the disclosed process is the improvement inamino acid ratios as shown by an increase in amino acid scores such asProtein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) and DigestibleIndispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS). Another unexpected result isthat the fraction of soluble proteins removed is of lower quality thanthe remaining proteins, as shown by digestibility and PER results fromfeeding studies. As shown in the top three rows in Table 4, the highprotein compositions of the instant disclosure show PER scores that arevery close to egg protein. While the data in Table 4 show PER assayperformed on chicks, similar results have been obtained from rats, dogs,and fish.

TABLE 4 Results from Chick PER assays gain/ feed/ chick chick PER CodeKey: (g) (g) G:F PER % Egg High Protein Chicken Powder 119.58 302.63 0.43.96 87.95 Batch 1 High Protein Chicken Powder 125.58 297.25 0.42 4.2293.83 Batch 2 High Protein Chicken Powder 118.79 292.96 0.4 4.04 89.76Batch 1 with antioxidant Whey Protein Concentrate −12.96 89.11 −0.15−1.47 −32.57 Whey Protein Isolate −30.96 70.88 −0.44 −4.38 −97.33 PeaProtein Concentrate −11.46 108.88 −0.11 −1.06 −23.54 Pea Protein Isolate−3.86 124.75 −0.03 −0.32 −7.03 Spray Dried Egg 128.04 284.08 0.45 4.5100 Soy Protein Concentrate 49.04 224.5 0.22 2.19 48.65 Soy ProteinIsolate 28.29 169.08 0.16 1.65 36.54 Whey Protein Isolate 2 −52.22 73.79−0.7 −6.98 −155.14 Whey Protein Concentrate 2 −22.58 89.29 −0.26 −2.55−56.73 −33.6 116.44 −0.29 . . . . . . G:F is the ratio between weightgain and the amount of feed consumed.

In one embodiment, the high protein compositions may be used as aningredient in food or beverage products. In another embodiment, thecomposition obtained may be used in numerous applications as awholesome, all natural ingredient. The disclosed extract may also beused to prepare protein drinks, smoothies, or other nutritionalbeverages.

It is to be recognized that the disclosed composition differs fromMechanically Separated Chicken (MSC) at least in that the disclosedcomposition contains various high quality proteins extracted from MSC,with various low quality proteins from MSC removed.

It is to be noted that, as used in this specification and the claims,the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to“a device” may include reference to one device, as well as two or moredevices, unless the context clearly limits the reference to one device.

The terms “between” and “at least” as used herein are inclusive. Forexample, a range of “between 5 and 10” means any amount equal to orgreater than 5 but equal to or smaller than 10.

Unless otherwise specified, the percentage of certain component in acomposition is by weight of total solid. Various commercially availableproducts may have been described or used in this disclosure. It is to berecognized that these products are cited for purpose of illustrationonly. Certain physical and/or chemical properties and composition of theproducts may be modified without departing from the spirit of thepresent disclosure. One of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate thatunder certain circumstances, it may be more desirable or more convenientto alter the physical and/or chemical characteristics or composition ofone or more of these products in order to achieve the same or similarobjectives as taught by this disclosure.

EXAMPLES

The following examples are provided to illustrate the present invention,but are not intended to be limiting. The reagents, materials andinstruments are presented as typical components, and varioussubstitutions or modifications may be made in view of the foregoingdisclosure by one of skills in the art without departing from theprinciple and spirit of the present invention.

Example 1 Preparation of Concentrated Protein Compositions from Poultry

Mechanically separated chicken was cooked to a temperature of at least200° F. (about 93.3° C.) for more than 5 minutes but less than 20minutes (first cooking period). Broth and fat were removed from thecooked chicken slurry by using high speed centrifugal decanterequipment.

The resultant insoluble and defatted solids fraction was added to equalparts of water and the mixture was cooked for two hours at 200° F.(second cooking period). The mixture was intermittently mixed during thesecond cooking period. The second cooking period may be repeated for oneor more times, as desired. In this Example, the second cooking period isthe final cooking cycle. At the end of the final cooking cycle, theproduct was pumped through a centrifugal decanter where fat and brothliquids were removed. The decanted product was dried and then subject toanalysis in a lab. The dried product typically contained (on a solidbasis) 85.7% to 86.8% of protein by weight, 8.9% to 11.8% of fat byweight, and 3.7% to 5.9% of ash by weight.

Example 2 Preparation of High Protein Powder from Poultry Using theDouble-Decant Method

Disclosed here is production of finished dried chicken protein powderusing a process of this disclosure. Fresh, raw chicken frames werepassed through a mechanical deboning system and the meaty proteinportion was fully cooked in a continuous system. The cooked product wasthen passed through a first centrifugal decanter separating theinsoluble protein fraction from the liquid soluble and fat fractions. Asignificant amount of the original mechanically separated chicken wasthus removed and a high protein meaty fraction was obtained. Thisinsoluble high protein low fat fraction was then rehydrated with atleast equal parts hot water and further heated with agitation. Thisslurry was then passed through a second decanter which again removedsoluble protein and fat. The double decanted protein fraction was thenblended with hot water, heated to a temperature of more than 165° F.,then pumped through a mill, homogenized, and spray dried. The finishedpowder had 84.5% protein, 8% fat, 3.1% moisture, and 4.1% ash. This highprotein powder was packaged ready to be used as a high protein wholesomeingredient. It represents a highly nutritious highly valued food proteiningredient product fractionated from a lower valued byproduct from thepoultry industry.

Example 3 Preparation of High Protein Powder from Poultry in aCommercial Plant

The processes of Example 1 or 2 are scaled up to produce larger quantityof high protein composition. The prepared compositions may be producedand packaged in a commercial plant.

REFERENCES

All references listed below and those publications, patents, patentapplications cited throughout this disclosure are hereby incorporatedexpressly into this disclosure as if fully reproduced herein.

-   Kelleher et al., US Patent Application Publication US2015/0099866.-   USDA SR-21 released Dec. 7, 2011 by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

We claim:
 1. A method for making a high protein composition from astarting material derived from an animal source, comprising: (a)processing said starting material to generate a processed material inthe form of fine particles or powders, (b) incubating said processedmaterial from step (a) with water in an vessel at an elevatedtemperature for a first period of time to form a slurry, (c) removingliquids from said slurry to obtain a first solid fraction, (d)incubating said first solid fraction from step (c) with water at anelevated temperature for a second period of time to form a secondslurry, (e) removing liquids from said second slurry to obtain a secondsolid fraction, and (f) collecting said second solid fraction to obtainsaid high protein composition.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidsteps (d) and (e) are repeated one or more times.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein no pH adjusting step is included in the process.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said elevated temperature in steps (b) and(d) is between 160 F and 300 F.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein saidperiod of time in steps (b) and (d) is between 1 to 3 hours.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein one or more enzymes are added to step (b),step (d), or both.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said processing instep (a) is by grinding.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said fineparticles or powders in step (a) have an average size of about 1 mm orless.